Using a set of 36 recorded laughs created by female English speakers, 884 participants from 21 different countries were asked to determine if each laugh was fake or real. They found that majority of people could differentiate between a spontaneous burst of laughter and a forced one.

But the interesting thing is, this isn’t a bad thing. Both laughs help you gain social-standing points.

Can You Watch This Without Smiling?5:36

Take a break and watch this joyous compilation of sheer happiness because you deserve it! Credit: Various via Storyful

May 17th 2018

7 months ago

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A genuine laugh was perceived by participants as an earnest acknowledgement of connection, while a fake giggle was regarded as a polite social response.

"We chose to use the words 'real' and 'fake' in our research because it taps into people's intuition. Technically, all laughs are real -- they are just produced by different vocal systems. We wanted to test whether or not this distinction is clear around the world," said lead researcher Greg Bryant.